Diary of a Cold Night
by Angeles Erare
Summary: A mysterious woman struggles to make her way to Budehuc castle. Chapter Two Up.
1. Prologue

A/N: This is just a Prologue sorta thing, and that's why it's so short, if you're wondering. ^^ Trust me, the first chapter will be much, much longer!. Oh yeah, and it'll also explain what's going on, heh.  
  
Diclamer: I don't own Suikoden, or anyone in any of the games. I'm just a poor, lost soul that dreams of writing fanfiction for all the fans. If you can't stand that. then. well. Too bad! *sticks tongue out* (blah.blah. blah, you should know the rest)  
  
"It was cold, dark and raining that night. The drops felt like giant golfballs on my tired body, but I knew I had to press on. I looked up at the sky many times that night, for what was happening in the sky was something of my doing."  
  
A young woman struggled through a dangerous night of rain and wind, making her way to Budehuc Castle. She had heard that people could be protected there, whoever they were, and that was exactly what she needed at this point in time. Protection from everyone, and everything.  
  
She pulled her cloak closer around her body, in hope that she would find better warmth, but no such luck, though it did seem to drown out the thunderous rain.  
  
Without even feeling or knowing, the woman suddenly fell to the ground in a heap. Her body wouldn't go on, though her brain urged it to.  
  
She kept telling herself "Just a little farther. Come on. I can do it. Once I get there, I'll have a nice, warm bed to sleep in as long as I want. Come on!" She repeated this over and over again, until finally her body had gained a small bit of confidence and she was able to get up.  
  
Forcing herself, she struggled to the gates of Budehuc in an hour, which would have taken just ten minutes in her usual strength. She smiled to herself, and finally collapsed for good. "Thank you. That's all I wanted. Thank you." She heard faint sounds of yelling, but at that moment, all she cared about was sleep. 


	2. Chapter One

"I opened my eyes to unfamiliar surroundings sometime after the dreadful night, and a young doctor stood over me, holding a wet cloth to my forehead. He had black hair, and his face lightened as I opened my eyes. I would soon find out who this young, soft-spoken doctor was."  
  
As the woman slowly woke, her body filled with the pain that had been caused by her long journey. She opened her eyes, and looked around at her surroundings. At first she was surprised, until she remembered why she was there. Her face softened, and realised that she had finally made it to Budehuc Castle.  
  
A young male doctor smiled at her as her eyes opened, he was holding a wet cloth to her head while his brown-haired nurse stood behind him with a clipboard in her hands. The doctor spoke softly to the woman on the bed, "Welcome to Budehuc, miss. My name is Dr. Tuta."  
  
The woman smiled back up at him. "Thank the gods. . . I've been out for days without rest. I, I didn't know where to go." The pain from the night was reawakened with her last words, and she winced slightly.  
  
Tuta smiled down at the woman, and touched her brown hair slightly. "You're safe here. Don't worry." He looked up at his nurse; "I'll need two painkillers, Mio."  
  
"Sure." The nurse turned on her heel and exited the room. The woman on the bed watched Mio walk out, then looked back up at Dr. Tuta.  
  
"So, what's your name, miss?" Tuta's face never dropped its smile, and the woman knew instantly from that that he was someone she could trust. She felt uncomfortable gazing up at the doctor from her lying-down position, though.  
  
"It's Celadine. Celadine Mandra." She announced, trying to sit up. Tuta placed his hands on either of her shoulders and gently pushed her back.  
  
"It's nice to meet you, Celadine, but please rest." Mio re-entered. "Thank you, Mio. Now, swallow these with this water." He handed her two pills and a glass of water, and she downed them quickly. "There you go, that should help ease the pain." Celadine just smiled and nodded as Tuta rose from his seat. "Well, we should be on our way. Fred seems to have had a little accident with a monster. Lie here and try to sleep for a couple of hours." With that, Tuta and Mio proceeded out the door.  
  
Celadine shook her head, she could still feel the pain coursing through her body, and was too tired to stand up, so she decided to take Tuta's suggestion and rest. As soon as she closed her eyes, a deep sleep consumed her.  
  
A few hours later, Celadine woke, but this time she was alone in the room. She looked around, smiling slightly at her surroundings. The room had a cosy feeling, and smelled like sweet morning air. The pain that Celadine had felt before was now gone, so she decided to go for a walk, perhaps make some friends.  
  
She rose slowly and swung her legs over the side of the bed, breathing in the sweet smell of freedom for a few moments before rising to her feet. Celadine turned towards the door, but was thrown back by an unknown force. She hit the wall opposite the door, pain returning. She only saw black for a few moments, but shook her head and rose once again.  
  
Whatever that was, it sure was powerful. "The hell was that?" Celadine muttered, trying another step. This time, there was nothing to hold her back, so she continued.  
  
It appeared that she was at the inn, she walked downstairs and into the tavern.  
  
Celadine took a seat close to a girl with red hair, wearing a yellow dress. The fashion resembled that of the Warrior's Village. Celadine took a slice of bread, eating it quickly. "You look strong."  
  
Celadine looked down at the girl who had just spoken to her, surprised. She swallowed and smiled, "Er, thank you. I've been working on that."  
  
"You don't look like someone from around here. You dress differently than everyone else." The girl had fire in her eyes and heart; Celadine could give her that much.  
  
"I'm from Highland, in the South. Are you from the Warrior's Village, by any chance, miss. . . Oh, I didn't even ask your name?"  
  
"It's Emily, and yes. I'm from the Warrior's Village." Emily just kept staring at Celadine without pause, saying the name of her village with great pride. "Who are you?"  
  
"Well, Emily. My name is Celadine, it's nice to meet you." Celadine smiled sweetly down at the fiery girl. "But I must be leaving now, I have important business to attend to. I'll see you around sometime."  
  
With that, Celadine took another piece of bread and left the room, smiling at the innkeeper as she walked by.  
  
A/N: No fun writing with no muse. . . He's off, sickly. . . I'm sorry once again for a short chapter, but I'd rather give you a short chapter with no muse than a long one. ^^; I'll really try to get my muse off his lazy bum and help with the next chapter. . . Oh, and I'll make it longer, too! Heh. Review, please. 


	3. Chapter Two

Meanwhile, in a deep cave, a room stood. A fireplace shone brightly with a chair facing it. A menacing looking man sat in it, a troubled look on his face. He scratched his forehead, thinking.  
  
"Master." A scrawny-looking man walked into the room, looking quite terrified as he stared at the back of his master's chair. His voice shook, and he had a slight lisp.  
  
"What do you want, Kouji!?" The "master" snapped at his servant without opening his eyes. "I'm thinking. . . It had better be important."  
  
"Er. Yes, yes sir. It is quite important. It's about our patient." A sweatdrop grew at Kouji's temple; he brushed it away.  
  
The man sitting immediately rose from his seat, "Go on!" He looked at Kouji with a demanding look.  
  
"It seems that the chip we implanted in her brain reacted to our last signal," He stopped here, waiting for the other man to swallow it all. "She is somewhere in the Grasslands. . ."  
  
The other man smiled and walked over to Kouji, "Then let's try it again! You must retrieve her! We cannot let the project fall into jeopardy!"  
  
"Yes, Master Saotana," Kouji bowed and hurried out of the room. Saotana just turned and placed his hands on his hips, a grin on his face.  
  
"We will have you back yet, my darling. . ." He walked back over to his chair and sat, returning to his former thinking position.  
  
A/N: Another short chapter, but it had to be that way to introduce Saotana and Kouji. ^^;; Please review! 


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